Congress Poised to Save the Land & Water Conservation Fund

After Congress let the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expire earlier this fall, the fight to revive the most successful conservation program in American history has been intense. LWCF has protected thousands of acres of critical wildlife habitat in Greater Yellowstone and provided countless access points to the great outdoors. City parks, fishing & hunting access sites, trails and wild landscapes have all benefited from LWCF.

Thanks to GYC supporters and thousands of others from across the country, Congress is now poised to include reauthorizing LWCF and funding it at $450 million in the large spending bill being negotiated on Capitol Hill. A portion of this funding would go toward protecting wildlife habitat on private lands between Yellowstone’s western boundary and central Idaho’s massive wildland complex, a region known as the High Divide. While we are disappointed Congress isn’t permanently reauthorizing and fulling funding LWCF, this is an important step in the right direction. Please join us in thanking Senators Tester (D-MT) and Daines (R-MT) and Congressmen Simpson (R-ID) and Zinke (R-MT) for their commitment to saving a conservation program that is critical to protecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem!